Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1887-11-18
Eslstf Rfaning.
BY REBECCA HARDING DAVIS.

Ny aunt, said the doctor, was brought
up IN a queer way. different from any
American girl, though she Was an
American.
Among the mountains In Pepusyl-
vania there are two or three ancient
German towns, founded long before
the Revolution. by the Moravians. -
The huge. massive stone buildings
stand still-aud are likely to s'and
for centuries - IN which the early
communities dwelt together. Vet sep
arate. There are the Brother and
Sister House. and the Gemeln. or
Common House. These are occupied
now by the idows Of Moravian mis-
sionarIes with their children.
There is = deadly quiet aud chilly
llesnliuess about the great dwellIngs.
Asch little suit Of family rooms open
into wide stone corridors. TO hIch
n ck OF dust IS allowed 10 remain,
would hardly dare 10 enter the
e-7Tr.U~s tol,ssurl sh-. -SsolusS
and silence.
Nv aunt Maria vas the only daugh-
r OF one OF these widows. She la !
Rever known aaE other home than the
huge Sister House. where life went on
like clock that moved without tick
ing.
She rose at dawn. aud helpel her
mother pnt their three neat rooms IN
10 still more perfec, order. Then she
eat h'r breakfast and was washed for
the second time: her'tlaxen hair was
plated behind. and tied with bow
Of brown ribbon; then. books IN hand
the demure little maiden paced across
the green quadrangle TO the school
where all the children OF the church
were taught When school vas over
she sat With her knitting by her moth
er's side. She never had yen'nrcd in.
10 the quiet street alone.
On rare occasions the children in
the community house PLAYED hide
and seek in the attlcs which ran un-
der the roof around the three sides
oil the great square. These proc ed
Ines. however. were usually regard
ed as dIsorderly by the grave widows,
But Maria hal one adventure in her
life which rose out of it, as the peak
Of TeneriiIs does out of the fiat ocean
around It. When she was ten years
old, she ran away, How it ever came
shout uooody ever knew. Maria her
self least OF all. 1t may have grown
out Of temporary insanity, the reac
ton from the long dulluess and quiet.
John Freitag. the widow FreItag S
son. persuaded her INTO 1t. lie told
her of the plan hundred times, on
the way home from school. Some of
the town hoys told him 1t WAS every
day matter To them When old Gott-
frey Sohn-r started to the neXt settle
meni, about five miles down the val
ley, his wagon loaded down with great
bags Of corn, the boys would hide
among the topmost sacks, and there
lie safely until the end of the journey
was reach d. Gottfrey was good
humored old man, and, after grumb-
ling IA little, alwa,s brought them
back in the empty wagon before
night-fall.
The idea grew, week after week, in
the little girls mind, under her dull
eyes and smooth plalts. and at last
she suddenly declared that she would
60 and "see the world
One morning in September. after
Maria and John had gone into the
school and hung up their wraps, they
took them down again, and walked
slowly out Of the door, and down the
street TO the inn yard. Even in run
ming away, they did not hurry; they
did not know how to hurry. Ia the
yard stood Sohner's great wagon
heaped with sacks. Nobody was near
and they climbed up and hid 10 the
hoIlows on the top Presently the
mules were brought out and harness
ed. Gottfrey climbed up and cracked
his whip, the great mass shook and
rocked, and they were off,
My aunt always told me that she
was not afraid. She forgot her moth
er, and that she was committing a
horrible sin, according to the rules
that she had been taught.
SIS was all SO strange aud beautiful ,
she used to say, "the clouds rushing
past us overhead the moving pro
cesslon of trees. the strong wind j
was Wild | could have shrieked fo'
joy,
! always fancied my staid auu